Valve mechanism



Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

* UNITED TES.

PATENT erries.

ROBERT 0. nmvnnrcxson, ornAo-mn, W sconsin, assrenon To J. I. CASE riio'w worms COMPANY, or RACINE, WISCONSIN, a conronamron or DELAWARE;

VALVE, MECHANISM.

Application filed February 9, 1920.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, ROBERT O. HENDRICK- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, county of Racine, State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to valve mechanism for internal combustion engines and the like and has for its object to I produce mechanism of this character which iseasily and quickly assembled and taken apart, is inexpensive to manufacture and produces a minimum of friction. With these objects in view, the invention com prises the construction and combination of parts described hereinafter and as covered by the following claim.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application, Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section through an internal combustion engine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a detail of a preferred form in vertical section; and Fig. 3 is a perspective of a detail.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the cylinder 3, piston 4, cylinder-head 5, valve 6, and valve-spring 7 as well as the crank-shaft, pit-man, etc., are or maybe of well-known type except in so far as they are modified in the respects hereinafter pointed out. The valve stem 6 as usual projects through the head of the cylinder and is operated by rocking lever 8 which is journaled at 9 to a post 10 on the head of the motor in a well known manner. The valve operating shaft 11 is as usual located in the crank case and has one or more cams 12 thereon, according to the number of valves to be operated.

Registering passages 13, 14 are cast ir the water-jacket and cylinder-head respectively to provide a housing forthe push-rod 16 by which motion is transmitted from the valve-shaft to the rocker arm 8 referred to above. At its lower end the push rod 16 rests in a conical depression 15 in the bottom of a hollow follower 15, and said follower reciprocates in a cylindrical guide 17 cast integral with the casing. A certain amount of angular movement is thus permitted the push rod at its lower end. At its to the ball.

Serial No. 357,174.

upper end the push rod is threaded at 20,

the ball 23; the ball rests loosely in the spherical seat of the sleeve. The rocker arm 8 is formed as at 25 with a partially spherical bearing of a size to fit the ball 23 and is further formed with a funnel-shape'i opening 26 communicating with the ball seat for the purpose of receiving oil and feeding it In the preferred form of the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 8 adevice is provided for preventing the rocker arm moving so far away from the end of the sleeve as might permit, the ball to leaveits seat. This preferably consists in a strip of sheet metal, the lower end of which is formed with an eye 30 which is clamped between the lower end of said sleeve and a lock nut 31. The upper end of the strip is bent over as at 32 a suflicient distance above and away fro-n the rocker arm to not interfere with the normal movement of the latter, but to prevent it getting too far away from the ball.

The pressure of the-valve spring 7 against the valve rod 1s communicated to the rocker arm and thereby exerts a constant pressure upon the ball so that under normal conditions no opportunityis given for the ball to leave its seat. In case, however, of a sudden raising of the ball-engaging end of the rocker arm it strikes the bent-over end 22 of the strip and the rod being free to rise carries the latter with it. In disassembling the engine for any purpose the rocker arm is simply lifted off with the part to which it is attached, to wit, the cylinder head, and if desired the ball and push rod may be lifted out, there being no couplings or joints to uncouple. The push rod is held at its ends between the ball and the follower, no bearings being required except the follower bearing in the crank case, thus simplifying the question of lubrication and permitting the rod perfectly free movement.- The ball being free to revolve resents constantly new surfaces for wear so that the joint between the rocker arm andthe push rod is of long life and the parts need renewal but seldom. The funnel-shaped opening 26 receives suffiseated upon the upper end of said push rod and engaging the rocker arm, and means for limiting the movement of the rocker arm away from the bell coneisting of 2 strip of metal seen-fed to the pussh fed and bent over the end of the rocker arm.

finnnmexsow. 

